Link awoke to his nose being plugged. His eyes flew open, as he was suddenly forced awake from being unable to breathe. He swatted at the hand holding his nostrils shut and took a deep breath, coughing. It was not a pleasant way to wake up. He lay on the floor of Impaz's living room, and Ashei was squatting down in front of him clad in her armor. He sat up, grumpy that she had woke him up in such a way.
"What the hell?!" he growled at her. "Can't you find a better way to wake me?"
"No." she said coolly, still hunkered down next to him. "Trust me, I tried. So did Midna and Auren. You were out cold. Snoring, in fact."
"Oh." His anger faded. Then he blinked. "Wait. I really do snore?"
"Not all the time, at least from what I've seen after sleeping near you a few times. Just when you're sleeping like the dead, yeah?" She stood up to give him space. "You did use an awful lot of energy."
He had, and it explained why he was in such a deep sleep...again. Midna had problems waking him in the past on the nights he needed a long, restful sleep. It wasn't surprising that all three of them had problems waking him today, after the battle yesterday. He lay on his back, stretched and yawned. The towel that Impaz insisted on for decency's sake was no longer around his waist, but he really didn't care if Ashei saw him in his drawers. "How long was I out?" he asked, his words distorted by the yawn.
"It's mid-morning. Again." She smirked down at him. "You know, for somebody who worked on a farm, you sure have problems waking up at the right time."
Smartass. If there was someone in the entirety of Hyrule who had a more clever mouth than him, it was Ashei. "I normally do wake at the right time, but I've been using a lot of energy every day for over a month now, in case you didn't notice."
She shrugged. "I've only known you for about two weeks."
Link stood and looked around the dim house. The windows had been shut and the curtains drawn, and it was dark enough inside that it wasn't any wonder he kept sleeping. Other than the orange tabby that was noisily grooming itself in the corner, the small house was very quiet. "Where is everyone?"
"Outside to talk to the Zoras." Ashei walked to the front door. "And now that I've woke you, that's where I'm going." She pulled the door open.
"Wait!" His sudden cry made her pause and turn towards him. "What's going on? Why are the Zoras here?" The Zoras were almost a full day's ride from here. How did they get here so soon after they freed the town? Max never went to warn them last night like he had planned.
"To feed the people here, obviously." She did not give him a satisfactory answer. "Go get dressed. Your clothes are probably dry." Ashei stepped out into the sunny morning and shut the door behind her, leaving him alone.
Link frowned and scratched at his hair, and then his face. Time to shave soon, although he didn't know if he could do it here or not. It was mid-morning, everyone else was awake, the Zoras were here, and they brought food? He needed to stop oversleeping. The cat in the corner made very loud sounds that were halfway between a lick and a slurp, and he saw that it was bent double licking its genitals. He had the absent and indecent thought that it would be fun if he could do that. Then he realized that he had an opportunity as a wolf, and never took advantage of it.
No, this was not the kind of weird thing he needed to be thinking first thing in the morning. He sighed and went to get ready.
A short while later he was dressed and fed, having ate some of the cornbread Ilia had packed for him. His clothes were clean and well-dry from their time hung in the arid Eldin air, and he did manage to find a mirror in order to shave. He stepped out into the bright sun, squinting a bit after being in the much darker house. There was a lot of activity not too far away from the front of Impaz's house, just past the abandoned well. Two big fires were being manned by Gorons, and they had impaled what looked to be fish on sticks and stuck them in the ground next to the fires to cook.
It wasn't too different than the situation with the potatoes and the Hylians, he realized. A line of people extended down the street, waiting patiently as a pair of Gerudo handed them fish. A group of humans had brought out a table from somewhere, and were gutting and deboning the fish before passing them on to the Gorons to skewer and cook. Not far away were a pair of Zoras standing in the shade and talking to one another near tied-up nets of fish that were waiting to be cleaned.
A few of the assorted races turned to look at him as he approached, and some hailed him warmly. There was no sign of the apprehension from last night. Some of the people waiting in line waved to him, calling out to him by his title instead of his name, but they were smiling in a friendly manner. He did not expect anyone to be happy to see him, yet here they were. Somebody called out "Sleepyhead!" from near the back of the line, and the group laughed. He had to laugh too. The mood was so different than it was yesterday.
Link decided to leave them to do the various things that they were doing, and walked through the center of the town. There were no Shadow Beast and Bulblin bodies, although there were still dark stains on the road where they had fallen. Now that it was daytime, he could see that the buildings of Old Kakariko were somewhat dilapidated and run-down. There were once many Sheikah living here, hundreds of them, but they all fled Hyrule for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was after mad King Albert's rampage, one of the very few things that would make the race abandon the royal family. He had to wonder why Impaz was the only one left. It must have been frightening to be an old woman living all by herself. They had talked about so many other things last night, he hadn't had a chance to ask her.
He found an odd group standing together in the shade of the awning of what looked like an inn, or perhaps a pub. Darbus, Impaz, Auren, Ashei, Midna and a Zora were all together there. Most of Hyrule's races were represented there, with the exception of a Hylian. Link became that token Hylian as he stepped up to the group.
Impaz smiled at him. "Ah, finally awake?"
"I need to sleep a lot when I use certain abilities of mine." He didn't think he should openly talk about having Courage in front of the people of the town. "Ashei wouldn't tell me why the Zoras are here, although I can see it has something to do with fish. Would somebody who isn't a wise-ass mind filling me in?"
Ashei assumed a look of mock innocence, but Darbus was the one who spoke up. "It was Midna's idea. She had a short cut to get to Zora's Domain, and so she went there to ask for some food for these poor people."
He had wondered why Midna was out in the open where people could see her. Normally she hid around others, assuming they would fear her. The Twili raised her hands in a shrug. "I had the idea last night, after you and Ashei shared your food with Impaz. She mentioned a fish dinner, and it got me thinking. I had already claimed the portal here, so it was nothing for me to teleport to Zora's Domain early this morning to ask Ralis for help. I tried to wake you up to see if you'd want to go with me, but you just wouldn't budge no matter what I did."
"The way she teleported us here was certainly strange." the Zora said, a female one by her voice. Now that he had taken a better look at her, her waist and limbs were more slender like a female, but she was rather tall and thus an older Zora like Jorvan. He hadn't thought about a female Zora becoming ancient and growing so tall, but it had to happen to both sexes. Her scales were a deep sapphire blue and shined like a snake's since they were dry. "Strange though it may be, it was quite efficient. The three of us were able to make multiple trips to bring plenty of fish. We brought enough for not only today, but for the next few days. The Gorons are going to start smoking them after all the humans had eaten."
"We're making some plans to get them other things as well." Darbus added. "I sent some rollers out to the depot near Castle Town. They're going to send up some dodongos, although it will take a few days for them to get here. Dodongos hurry for no one, as they say." Did they say that? Gorons likely did. "After that, they'll split into two groups. One will go with Max to gather food to bring to Mido, and one will gather food to bring here. Eventually we'll bring people back to their homes, once you take care of the whole Ganondorf problem."
Link was glad that the Gorons had decided both to help the people in Old Kakariko and the people in Mido at the same time. The kindness of the rock people was saving others from starvation. "Where is Max, by the way? Is he still mad at me?"
"I wouldn't call it 'mad'." Ashei said. "You scared him, and he's already been pretty moody because he lost family recently." She wasn't being specific in front of the group, and mentioning that it was family was enough. Many people had lost family due to the invasion. He recalled the conversation he had overhead with Midna, where the man had admitted he was afraid for Ashei. Max wasn't concerned for himself; he was concerned for the woman he cared about. "But he seems better today." she continued. "He went out with some of the Gerudo to hunt for some meat to tide people over until the Gorons can bring in food supplies."
"I wanted to go." Auren sounded a bit petulant. "But when I try to hold a bow, it tugs on my stitches and hurts." The Gerudo's face wasn't painted today, and she was wearing her embroidered red blouse again, with the linen bandages wrapped around her torso beneath it. He was glad she wasn't topless anymore, although he wasn't sure why she did that in the first place. "I won't be fighting for a while, I guess." she grumbled.
"Nor should you." Impaz told her. "It's best if you take it easy and heal up for a couple of weeks. You are young, so you should heal quickly."
"Oh, yeah. Actually, that reminds me." Link said. "I have stitches in my leg, from after I got bit by the Lanmola."
"You were bit by a Lanmola?!" Darbus exclaimed. "How the heck are you still alive? Hylians have the constitution of wet paper!"
"The Gerudo are prepared for anything, so they took care of me." he told the Goron patriarch, deciding to ignore the "wet paper" remark. He looked down at Impaz, one of the very few people he had encountered that was shorter than him. "Since you were able to put stitches in somebody, I'm going to guess you can take them out."
"I certainly can, dear." With that "dear" she tended to use, she probably seemed like nothing but a sweet old woman to the others in the town. He knew otherwise. "How long ago were you wounded?"
He thought for a moment, counting up the days. So many things had happened since his trip to the desert, and even then he knew that his wound was healing faster due to Courage. Courage, the Triforce fragment that decided to only heal his injuries from the Lanmola and not his bruises from the Arbiter's Grounds. Because of that, he doubted he could use it to actively heal himself. "About two weeks ago."
"Then it should be fine, although I will need to look at it to be certain." The old woman's formality had returned. She probably did that around the humans of the town. "I am not planning to stand outside much longer, shade or not. It has already gotten quite hot out here. I will be in my house when you need me." She turned to smile at the groups of humans eating fish. "I had to come watch these people eat. They look so happy. It warms my heart." The Sheikah turned back to Midna, and reached up to take her tiny hand. "Thank you for your kindness, Midna. You are a good soul."
He thought he saw a bit of color on the Twili's gray cheeks. "Oh, um. No problem. The Zoras are the ones you really ought to thank."
"Nonsense." the female Zora said. "It was your idea. You knew King Ralis would offer help if asked, and so you came to us."
"I suppose so. The important thing is that the people have food." Midna crossed her arms, appearing as if she was dismissing the praise. That was strange...normally she was fine with taking praise and compliments. The way she was acting was a bit like he would have. Maybe he was rubbing off on her. She sensed that he was looking at her and met his gaze. "If there's anything you want to do before we pack up and leave, go do it. We probably should leave to head back to the other Kakariko before it becomes too late in the day." The Twili blurred as she merged with his shadows, disappearing from view.
Link put a hand to his chest, not sure why she was suddenly behaving strangely, but decided to let it go and turned his attention back to the group. "I think I'll go talk to the people from Ordon. After the group that's hunting gets back, we'll get going."
The Ordonians were overjoyed to see him, once he had found them. They had stayed together as a group, and were eating fish next to one of the windmills that bordered the town. They had questions, of course. He was not much like the young man that herded goats that they remembered. They also had seen how he had fought, and while many were in awe, none seemed to be frightened. If was as if they accepted that yes, he was the hero and yes, he could do things that nobody else could. In fact they were far more interested to hear what was currently happening in Ordon now than what he had been up to. While the fall of Castle Town was as shocking to them as anyone else, the fact that the Ordonians had opened their doors to accept refugees was important to them. They had helped people in need, as was their way. Link had the same set of values drilled into his head over the past five years, and was probably the reason why he had accepted everything the gods had charged him with.
He told them that he had found Ilia and the children, although he didn't mention Ilia's memory loss. He mentioned Renado finding them, and caring for them in Kakariko until the world was safer. Jaggle in particular was happy to hear this, having worried about this boys the entire time he was held captive. He caught Link in a rough hug, which was surprising because Jaggle was both a gruff man who didn't express most of his emotions, and a man who tended to not touch others. He was the polar opposite of Link. Maybe the whole experience had changed the man.
Max and eight Gerudo warriors returned only about an hour after Link left Impaz's house. Link had no idea what kind of game they would have found in the craggy volcanic hills below the extinct volcano, but it seemed to be quite a bit. It was too arid and the soil too rocky for humans to establish farms and communities, so the animals flourished. Two of the Gerudo had doubled up in the saddle with two other riders, and their large black and orange mounts were carrying elk. The one was a buck so large, any horse smaller than one of the massive Gerudo horses would have had difficulty carrying it. The other hunters had brought back quail, rabbits, and a few large flightless birds. Link initially blanked on the name of the large long-necked and ugly birds, but then he remembered seeing illustrations of them in a book, and that they were called ostriches. One resourceful Gerudo had captured one of the large gray boar mounts that had escaped the town, and was towing it behind her horse with a long rope tether.
"How much meat do you think these people are going to eat?" Darbus exclaimed as they rode up. He was seated with Ashei and Link in the shade of a building as the morning heat was starting to make the dusty village uncomfortably hot. The Goron himself was unfazed by the temperature, but he wanted to chat with the humans. As it turned out, the patriarch was as gabby as Coro was.
The redheaded warrior grinned at him, quite pleased with the haul. He himself had an ostrich and six grouse strapped to his horse, which he led instead of rode. "You do realize that humans need to eat more than once a day, right? We're made of meat, so we need to eat some meat to replenish our energy. You're made of rock, so you eat rocks."
"Hey now, we're made of rocks and meat. But I see your point. These people look a little pale in the shale, if you get what I'm saying. They could use some extra fuel in their bellies to get them ready to go home." He watched as some of the Gerudo dismounted, but the Goron remained seated. "So are you just going to kill them, or are you going to skin them too?" Darbus was one of the few Gorons Link knew that didn't say "going to" as "gonna". It was probably the Goron equivalent of a royal dialect.
"I plan on taking them to that big table where they were gutting fish. There are probably enough people here who know how to bleed and butcher an animal." His eyes fell on Ashei, and then Link. Then his grin faded. Part of Link wanted Max to get over himself, but another part of him understood his cousin's frustration. He decided that he would treat the other young man normally, even though he wanted to talk to him about Ashei. There were far too many people around for that discussion.
"You've done so much for these people." Link said to him. "You came out of Mido hoping to help your own people, but are helping the ones here too. You didn't have to do that."
Max's blue eyes were wary, but then he cleared his throat and looked away. "Yeah, true. Except my father would be rolling in his grave if I ignored the problems of others. That wouldn't be very much like a knight, would it?" He stared off into the distance. "Even then, I couldn't walk away from this place without helping. It wouldn't be right."
"Yeah. I get it." He stood, brushing the dust from his backside. "What will you do, after we leave?"
The other man looked uncomfortable and was hiding it poorly. He didn't want to talk to Link, but was still making an effort to be polite. "I'm still going to work along with the Gorons to get food to Mido." His tone was pointedly neutral. "After I have that taken care of, I'll probably go down to Ordon with the people who were taken from there, when it's time for them to go home. You told me that they have plenty of crops to spare, and I still haven't found any grain other than some barley. What I found isn't enough for our animals."
This man was his cousin, yet he didn't want to talk to him. His only living relative didn't trust him, and it was frustrating. Link had to keep his tone somewhat neutral as well, to avoid letting that frustration show. "After it's safe again?"
Max's eyes looked at his for a moment, and then away again. "Yeah. After you do the things you need to do." After you use your frightening power again, near Ashei. Link could sense the unspoken sentence.
"So then after Midna and I do our thing, and Zelda's on the throne, then what?" He made a point to mention that it would be only he and Midna, nobody else. He knew what Max's plans were after overhearing him last night, but he was trying to push him into a specific conversation.
The warrior turned to glare at him, annoyed at the string of questions. "What I want to do. Why do you care?"
"Max…" Ashei began, standing up. Link waved a hand to shush her.
"I care because you're a man of substance. You're strong, honorable, and compassionate, just like Ashei is." He saw conflicting emotions in Max's eyes, and he continued. "You behave like a knight, like she does. And like her, you should be one by now. I don't know how much weight I can throw around once Zelda's in charge, but I have plans to talk to her about reinstating Ashe's title, and my title too. I want us to be what our fathers were, and I want to do the same for you."
The glare faded, and Max looked confused. "Why?" He opened his mouth and shut it again, not wanting to openly admit that he didn't trust Link. He didn't understand why the person that he had treated badly twice would be interested in helping him out...which was foolish after what Link had just said about knightly behavior.
"I know you don't trust me, but I still want to help you. I understand you want nothing to do with me right now, but listen…" He took a few steps closer to Max. "Our fathers were good friends, not to mention cousins. It would do them a disservice if the two of us never got along, or never helped one another. So please...let me help you, just like I plan on helping Ashei. I want us to do this together." There was so much more he wanted to tell him, but not with this much of an audience. Talking about their fathers was more than enough.
Max gathered up the reins of his piebald horse and stared off into the distance thoughtfully. "I know Ashei can get there on her own, and I can too. But…" He looked over at Ashei, who was watching him quietly through all of this. "I'll think about it." He led the horse down the main road towards the back side of town, not looking at anyone as he went.
After he had gone, Darbus stood up. "I knew you were the son of a knight, but I didn't know anything about Ashei or him. And you're of the same blood, too. Blood ought to stick together. I don't get him, though." He crossed his bulky arms and watched the piebald horse as it walked through town. "That guy is more stubborn than a sleepy dodongo. I tried to talk to him about you, brother. I really did. He still has the notion that you're dangerous."
"It's fine, Darbus. This isn't the first time two two of us didn't see eye-to-eye. At least this time we're not swinging our fists at one another." Yet it was over the same reason, as frustrating as that was for both him and Max. It wasn't necessarily jealousy, it was a combination of that and worry, concern and love. He couldn't tell that to Darbus, even if there weren't many people around. He didn't know if a Goron would understand the complexities of a man's heart.
"Ah well, you've got real stones to respect him when he doesn't respect you. A lesser guy wouldn't do that." The large Goron squinted up at the late morning sun, shading his round eyes with one thick hand. "It's about the same time of morning as it was when we left yesterday. If we leave soon, we ought to get back to Kakariko at around sundown."
"Yeah, we should leave within the hour, if we can. Go get your warriors together. I'll talk with the rest of the Gerudo and make sure their horses are ready to go." Link patted his left leg, just above the knee. "But first, I need Impa to take these stitches out."
"A Lanmola. I still can't believe it. You're made out of tougher stuff than I am, and I'm half rocks." The patriarch laughed. "Go get ready, brother. We will meet you at the gates."
Link smiled at the Goron's words. That was quite the compliment, coming from the leader of the hardy Gorons. He turned and walked down the road to the small house behind the dry well, passing the fires that some people were now using to smoke fish on metal racks. He had no idea where they got the racks, but this town probably had a number of things in it that a normal town would have, if the Sheikah had simply up and left. That reminded him that he needed to ask Impaz about that. Where had they gone? Why was she the only one here?
He also passed Max, who was unloading his catch. The three Zoras were there, and they seemed impressed with what the hunters had brought in. He didn't know if Max was pointedly not looking at him, or if he was actually distracted by the Zoras. It didn't matter. Link walked on, and into Impaz's home.
It was still dim inside, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. All the windows and curtains had been closed to keep out the heat during the daytime, which was the opposite of last night, when she had the windows open to let in a breeze. It was the same as what the Gerudo did to regulate heat in their homes, and considering Ordon got fairly hot in the summer, he wasn't sure why they didn't do it there as well.
Auren sat in a chair next to the table, adjusting her red top as if she had just put it back on. Impaz stood nearby with slightly stained linen in her hand, a few spots of dried blood on it. It appeared as if the Sheikah had just changed the young woman's bandages. Since his friend was seated with her left cheek towards him, he could see that she still had a faint bruise there from where she had been hit.
"How are you doing?" he asked the Gerudo.
"I'm fine." she said as she stood up and looked down at him. When she was seated, it was easy for him to forget that she was almost a foot taller than he was. "It doesn't hurt much. It's more itchy than anything else."
"Yeah, and it'll be that way for a while. Mine drove me crazy when I was hiking through the mountains with Ashei."
"Is that why you kept rubbing at your knee?" Ashei asked from where she was seated on one of the cushions on the floor with her legs stretched out in front of her. She was unable to kneel on it with her greaves on. "I thought you were just sweaty from the climb."
"I was sweaty. I think that made it worse." He remembered the strange, long hike through the snow-covered mountains in the middle of summer. His extremities were cold, but his torso and legs were way too warm. It was a bizarre feeling.
Impaz started giving Auren instructions on how often to check her bandages and wound, but Link couldn't hear it. Midna's voice spoke in his ears. "I need to tell you something. Don't react, okay? When I left this morning, everyone was asleep. Even before I tried to wake you up, I had to wake Auren. She had moved across the floor and was sleeping next to you. Like, right next to you. You were the little spoon, get it? And she wasn't wearing that blanket anymore." That put quite the interesting image in his head. He felt a bit violated, but at the same time his heart beat a little faster.
"Come on, don't get excited about it." Midna chided, able to sense the subtle changes in his body. "You men, I swear. Anyway, I think you need to talk to her soon. She's better than she was last night, but she still seems off, like she doesn't have a lot of restraint. I think it's safe to say that the woman who kissed you is probably looking for a repeat performance. I tried to talk to her this morning about her behavior, but it might be better coming from you."
That was a bit troubling. It had seemed like Auren had accepted that he was only interested in Ilia, but Gerudo culture was forward and demanding, and it had made her act the same way. The fact that she had proposed to him after watching his frustration with the other Gerudo was a sign that she wasn't going to give up as easily as he thought, regardless of what she said. The last thing she had done before they parted ways was ask him to reconsider and then kissed him. It had seemed fine for him to not say anything and move on, since he thought it would be a while before he went back to the desert. What he hadn't expected was for Auren to come to Kakariko, and then travel with him here.
What could he say that hadn't already been said? It was already an uncomfortable subject for him, since he had to deal with the guilt from considering her offer at the time. He really did not want it brought back up. He could draw a parallel between himself and Ashei, who had to refuse Max, and perhaps had to physically refuse him last night. He thought about asking Ashei about it, but he decided he shouldn't make his problem hers. She had enough to worry about.
Midna appeared and formed out of his shadows. "If we're going to leave soon, I need to take those Zoras home. I'll bet they're uncomfortable in this heat." The little imp opened the door, but she opened it with her hair. "I'll be back in a bit. See you later." She left, pulling the door shut behind her.
"Link, did you want me to look at that leg of yours?" Impaz asked, wadding up the used bandage into a ball.
His worries concerning Auren would have to wait. "Yeah, that's why I'm here. We can do that, and then the three of us should get our horses ready."
"All right, then. Have a seat, and roll up that pant leg." She went to the kit she had on the table and started rummaging through it.
Link worked to do as she told him, and decided that it was far easier to remove his boot first. He sat down on the same chair that Auren had occupied a minute ago, and the Sheikah prodded around the stitched area. The wound had knitted up and turned into a pale white scar that was slightly puckered. It didn't hurt anymore, not that he expected it to. She gave a professional "hmm" and pushed directly on it. "It looks like the skin has healed, although I don't know if anything beneath still needs to. You'll have a scar no matter what. It looks like quite the puncture wound."
"The healer said that it went all the way down to the bone." Auren said. "Still it was neater than the one on his hip, which was kind of jagged."
Impaz raised her sparse eyebrows at him. "Oh, really? And here you were, riding a horse, running around, climbing mountains and fighting things. Didn't they hurt?"
He shrugged. "Yeah. Sure, it was sore. But it wasn't anything I couldn't handle, and I had important things to do." At least Renado had removed the stitches of the other one. He wished Auren hadn't said anything about it.
The Sheikah frowned and opened her mouth to admonish him, but then the door opened suddenly. Max walked in and shut the door behind him. From his body language, he was not calm. He strode up to where Link sat. "You and I need to have a talk."
Link glanced up at him, a little irritated with the way he had suddenly burst in without any regard for what was happening inside the house. "What, right now?"
"Yes, right now." The look in his eyes put Link on guard. It wasn't the same drunken hostility that led to him avoiding punches, or the look from last night where Max had struggled with his own fear of Link. It was a look that said that the young man was being stubborn about something he should let lie. Stubborn and emotional. "I believe that you were correct, that since our three fathers were friends, the three of us should approach Zelda together. However, before we even go to her, I have some conditions."
"Max, can you not?" Ashei pleaded in an exasperated tone.
"Conditions?" Link's offer to work together to reinstate their titles and become knights wasn't something he thought would have made Max like this. It was a peace offering. He was trying to be nice, for crying out loud. "What makes-" He was interrupted as Impaz removed the stitches and managed to tug on a few leg hairs as she did so. "What makes you think that this is something to negotiate? Either we're all in together or we're not."
"I'm going to be honest here: you scare me. It was fine before, in fact I was glad to find out that we were related. Before then, it was just me and Ashei, so I thought that maybe knowing somebody else around my age would be a good thing. But then you went nuts last night, and I realized that I couldn't trust you. I don't know what you're going to do." He was trying to speak in measured tones, but his expression was still touched with anger. "You're a potential danger to the people around you, don't you realize that?"
Impaz finished what she was doing and turned around to look up at Max, but she didn't say anything. She simply listened to the young man rant.
Link sighed and rolled his eyes skyward. The man was being so damned stupid! "Come on. What do I have to do? Let you punch me in the mouth again? Talk a long walk off a tall cliff?"
"No." Max clenched his jaw and then took a deep breath to calm himself. "I understand you're doing something important, and I respect that. I even accept that you're able to do things that the rest of us can't do, considering who you are. Fine. But I'm going to ask that you leave Ashei out of it all."
"This again!" Link burst out angrily, standing suddenly. He was running out of patience. "What's the matter with you? Why are you hung up on this one stupid thing? It's ridiculous!"
"I'm 'hung up' on it because it's important to me, all right?! Don't be dismissive and call it ridiculous!" He glowered down at Link, his blue eyes dangerous. The man was about a half foot taller than him, not that Link was intimidated.
He didn't want to escalate things any more, so he tried reason again. "I'm not dismissing you, but you're not listening. Let me say this again, all right? I don't make the decisions for my friends or what they do with their lives. I wasn't the one who decided that Ashei come here, or Auren, or Darbus. They all volunteered on their own because they wanted to be here. They wanted to help just as much as you did." He took a deep breath and tried to keep his temper from rising, and lowered the volume of his voice. "You shook my hand and told me that you were happy to help. Why do you think Ashei's decision to help me is any different? Why can't you trust her to make her own decisions?" He bent and rolled his legging down again, quite intentionally breaking eye contact with the redhead that was looming over him. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." he muttered. He was sick of the subject, of such a simple concept that everyone seemed to understand except Max.
"Young man." Impaz said with a tone of authority. It made Link quickly raise his face to look up, but she wasn't talking to him, she was speaking to Max. "I understand your reasons, but you need to listen to Link."
"I don't see how this is any of your business." Max said hotly. He had the nerve to be rude to Impaz in her own home. Link was trying not to let his anger take control, but he could still feel it burning just below the surface.
She reached up to tap Max on the chest with one of her bent fingers. "It became my business once you entered my house and started shouting." Her tone softened just a bit. "I know that you're upset because you're in love with that girl. The windows were open last night, and I could hear things happening outside quite clearly."
Max's face turned pink. He probably didn't think anyone would hear that conversation, or how it had ended. Link intentionally looked away and put his boot back on. Max didn't need to figure out that he had overheard him.
"Let me speak to you as a woman who married late in life, and dedicated her youth to being a warrior. There is nothing more frustrating than a suitor who thinks he knows better than you. Oh sure, they may do it out of love, affection or attraction, but it's still somebody trying to control your life." She started to pack away the small scissors that she had used to remove Link's stitches. "What your friend does with her life isn't up to you, or Link, or me. I know you're unhappy and feel like she's slipping away from you, but she's not. She's become an adult and is learning what she wants to do now, just as much as you are."
The Sheikah sighed. "You are all so young, just barely grown up. All full of such strong feelings, and you still haven't learned how to control them. You especially." She pointed at Auren. "Don't think I haven't seen you making eyes at our young hero here. I don't care if the Gerudo people tend to be more forward, most Hylians certainly are not. I'm not sure what was so 'awkward' last night, but you need to control yourself." Link hadn't thought that the others were able to hear him quietly speaking to Auren in the kitchen, but apparently Impaz's ears worked well. Auren's face took on an expression of shame, and then she lowered her eyes, unable to look at any of them.
Impaz slammed her medical kit shut, clearly irritated that these younger people would be so foolish, but she still did her best to be patient. "It would do you all well to listen to the words of an old woman. I've lived over a century, whereas I doubt any of you have lived even a quarter of one. You must learn self-control and patience, all of you." She stared at the shut kit, at her own gnarled hand on top of it, and no one spoke. She breathed a deep breath, and the Sheikah turned and clasped her hands behind her back. "Max, you'll still be in town for a while after they leave. Please come back to me later. I want to talk to you some more, just you and I."
The redhead nodded and stared at the floor, clearly ashamed. "I'm sorry I came in here like that. It was wrong of me to act that way." Was that an apology for Link, or for Impaz?
"It's all right, dear. Like I said, you're young and those emotions are riding high. I can teach you some things to help keep them under control, if you like." She smiled and kindly patted Max's arm. "Why don't you go back outside for a bit? We're almost finished here, and I'm sure you'd like to see your friends off."
Max nodded again, and raised his eyes to look at Link. "Uh, look…"
"It's fine." he said, still sympathetic even though they had just argued. "I know you might not believe me, but I really do understand how you feel right now. I've been going through some things and I need Ilia to be with me. I grew up with her, just like you grew up with Ashei. Whenever I'm away from her, I worry. I worry about how she's doing, I worry about everything that's a threat to her, and I worry that somehow she'll come out of this worse than I will. Still, I can't tell her what to do, even though I want her safe."
"She sure tells you what to do sometimes." Ashei said with a smirk.
Link had to laugh just a bit at that. "Yeah, sometimes. I humor her, but I don't listen to her every command. Even then, she isn't trying to hold me back."
The redheaded warrior looked over at Ashei, his face a little hurt as he finally realized something. "Am I holding you back?"
"No. If anything I'm leaving you behind." she answered gently while crossing the room to stand in front of him. She did not touch him, however. "But I'd rather you keep up with me."
For just a second, he could see Max's heart in his eyes as he looked down into her brown ones, and then the warrior sighed and it was gone. "I want to talk to you sometime soon. A do-over, where I can try to get it right. Maybe we can talk once we're both at the castle, on our way to become knights. After you're done doing other things." he offered.
"Sounds good. And...if you're ready to become a knight, then I want us to do it together. We can help each other out just like we used to." Ashei's smile was warm, and she didn't put up her front this time. After hearing the conversation last night, Link understood the weight of her words, and how much they meant to Max.
The other warrior from Mido continued to look down at her, and he responded with a similar smile. "Yeah." He took a reluctant step backwards, and then turned and exited the house quietly.
Link blew out a breath after Max was gone. "I hope we're done with all of that."
"I think you are. He seemed sincere." Impaz said. The old woman picked up her medical kit and made her way into the kitchen.
"Link." Auren had been standing quietly through the whole exchange, her eyes on the floor since Impaz had admonished her for her behavior. "I need to say I'm sorry again. I was doing fine before we came to this place, but something happened to me. I don't know what it is. I've done some things I'm not proud of, and they weren't very respectful."
"I know. Midna told me about this morning."
She bit her lip when she heard he knew, and tears started in her eyes. He had seen Auren frightened, angry, and frustrated. The Gerudo always bounced back and recovered without too much difficulty, but this was different. This was shame, and as strong of a person she was, she didn't know how to handle it.
"Come on, I'm not worth crying over." He tried to say it in a joking tone, but it had no effect on her.
"I don't want to lose you as a friend. I know I risked that when I said goodbye before, but now it's so much worse." the Gerudo said, her voice strained. "I hope I haven't upset you." She thought that her behavior would jeopardize their friendship.
"You haven't. It's okay." He watched as she raised her hand to her eyes and sniffled, and suddenly felt awful. He knew that he wasn't the one who made her cry, but it still felt as if he was. "Oh, come here." he said, closing the distance between them so he could put his arms around her. She returned the hug and rested her cheek on the top of his head. He thought about how humorous the two of them must have looked, the short man trying to comfort the woman ten inches taller than he was. He wouldn't dare laugh, not now. "I'm still your friend. Nothing has changed between us, okay? What happened isn't your fault, it's mine. I told you that sometimes when I sing, things happen. It's a kind of spell. The Master Sword told me that's what happened last night."
"What was your intention, when you cast that spell?" Impaz said from behind him. He hadn't heard the old women enter the room.
"I didn't intentionally cast it, it just kind of happened. I wanted to distract Auren from what you were doing, which is why we sang that song to her. It wasn't too different than when something happened to Ashei. Ashei, can I talk about that?" He didn't want to reveal her phobia to the others.
"I think you should. Midna already knows about my fear of avalanches, and I don't feel bad letting Impaz or Auren know." the warrior said from behind him somewhere. He had thought Auren would have been fine after he said it wasn't her fault, but she still clung to him. Since he had felt awful about something and needed to hold onto Ashei last night, he stayed put and let Auren hold onto him.
"You're okay." he said softly to the Gerudo while patting her on the back, and then spoke more normally to Impaz. "I told you about how Midna saved us from the avalanche and shoved us into a Yeti den until Yeto could dig us out. What I hadn't mentioned was Ashei's phobia that had been triggered. I ran into my own irrational fear at the bottom of Lake Hylia, and I didn't want her to feel that way. I sang her a song too, the exact same song the two of us sang here. I wanted to distract her."
He frowned, still standing there with his arms around Auren's middle. He couldn't tell if she was still crying our not, but she still had her face rested on the top of his head. "It was the same kind of thing, and the same song. Ashei reacted like she was amazed. She was in total awe, I could see it on her face. Then she told me… Wait a second." His eyes widened as it dawned on him. He wasn't the thing that she found impressive. "It was the song itself. Ashei loves songs, and the spell made her love of songs be the thing that distracted her. That's why she was so amazed, because I sang a song that she didn't know and she really wanted to learn it."
"Huh. That was what happened? I was really impressed that you knew a song in Old Hylian. Come to think of it, I'm not usually that excited about learning a new song...but when I did, it made me forget about being afraid. Your distraction worked." Ashei came up next to the two of them and gently patted Auren on the shoulder. "It worked on Auren too, although I'm not sure why she focused on you. I guess the Gerudo find you a whole lot more attractive than I do, yeah?"
Impaz sounded amused from where she stood behind him. "This Gerudo in particular. What's more distracting than the man she's attracted to?"
"I'm not just attracted to him." the tall woman admitted. "I've been able to ignore how I feel ever since I came into Hyrule with my father, even after I met Link again at Kakariko. But last night the magic he did made it...overwhelming. I couldn't ignore it."
That alarmed him. "No, I don't want to do that." He stepped back and looked up at the Gerudo guiltily. She was no longer in tears, but she still looked unhappy. "I didn't want to force you to feel anything, that's not what I was trying to do. It's not right that I'm able to do that." He turned to the Sheikah. "I don't want to do that, Impaz. If I can alter not only the way people behave, but their actual feelings, then that's dangerous. Not to mention horrible."
"Then I suppose it's a good thing that you're not the kind of person to abuse your power, isn't it?" The old woman smiled at him kindly. "Link, you already have abilities that would be abused in the hands of another, yet you're careful with them. This is another one that you must learn to control." She sighed. "If only the other Sheikah were still here. Then there would be someone who could properly train you in the ways of song magic."
"That was something I meant to ask you about." Link said. "Where did they go, and why? And how come you're the only one left?"
"Three excellent questions. The first and second have simple answers; most of them went west, past Gerudo lands and the Snow Peaks. A group of western Sheikah called for their Hyrulean cousins in Kakariko to come help with an issue, and so they left even before the magic law made the rest of the Sheikah abandon their homes. The second is a bit more complex. I am supposed to wait here for the Herald of the Heavens, so I may instruct them on how to reach the Oocca. I had thought it was a pointless job, but then you mentioned that you had the Rod of Dominion." She stared out into the distance, remembering something from her past. "That isn't all. There is a great evil locked away beneath this town, sealed there by Sheikah centuries ago. The seal will continue to hold, but only if one of us is here to maintain it."
"Isn't that lonely?" Auren asked. The Gerudo seemed like she had regained her composure, as if hearing that she was under the influence of a spell had lessened her guilt.
"Very, but I volunteered. My wife has been dead for nearly twenty years now, so there was very little reason for me to refuse. Better me than someone else with a spouse or family. Since I was important, I doubted that the army would come to take me away. The royal family knows of what's beneath Old Kakariko, and even a mad king wouldn't want to unleash it on the world." The old woman blinked, pulled out of her memories and into the present. "I hope I live long enough for the others to return, so that doesn't happen." She reached out with one of her wrinkled, veined hands and grasped at one of Link's. "Hero, may I have a request? Once you've done what you must, will you either seek out the Sheikah in Holodrum, or return here with the Master Sword to destroy the evil? I believe you're the only one who can."
"I'll try to do both, although it may be a bit before I get around to going to Holodrum. As much as I'd like to return to Ordon and my life after I'm done, I know there will still be a lot of things to do in order to set things right." He knew that he would return to a life with Ilia eventually, but he wasn't going to lie to himself and pretend that he wasn't going to be needed. After hearing about the evil below the town, he knew that the hero's job wouldn't be done with the death of Ganondorf.
The Sheikah smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. "You're a good man. I'm glad Zelda has you on her side."
He still didn't have the heart to tell her that Zelda was gone.
It didn't take them long to saddle the horses, who seemed rather happy to have spent the day fenced in at the grassy graveyard. There were flattened patches of grass in the gaps between tombstones, like some of them had been rolling, and others were laying in the shade of the trees that edged the large cemetery. Even though the Gerudo horses grew up in the desert, there was still an innate instinct within them to love green fields, and the massive horses looked content.
Link thought about using Ilia's flute to call Epona over, but he had no idea how to play it and didn't want to stumble his way through the notes, so he sang instead. The mare trotted over with a bouncy, enthusiastic gait that made him smile. She didn't seem angry that he had launched himself off her back and then completely abandoned her the night before. That was good, because Epona could certainly hold a grudge and stay pouty.
As they were preparing to go, he insisted that Auren wear his cloak. Her own cotton cloak had been cut by Ashei and used to press her wound, so it wasn't salvageable. "Look, I know it's going to be a bit short on you." he said as he unpinned it from his shoulders. "But I have plenty of clothes on. Your belly is going to get cold and your shoulders sunburned. Besides, what happens if you ride through some bugs?" He knew from personal experience that having an insect smacking into bare skin while riding at a canter was painful, not to mention disgusting.
The Gerudo looked down at the form-fitting red blouse that left her stomach and arms bare. Since it was repaired, it was a bit more snug on her. "I guess you have a point. What if it rains, though?"
"Then I get wet." He held out the worn wool cloak to her. "Just take the damn cloak."
Max rode through the canyon with them as they left the hidden town of Old Kakariko. All traces of the young warrior's anger and frustration were gone. Ashei had been right and he did get over it, but it took a combination of Impaz's words Ashei's gentle affirmation to push him in the right direction. "How much longer do you think everything will take?" he asked Link.
"I plan on going to get the last mirror shard the day after tomorrow, since I know I'll need to rest a whole day. Then after that we have to head to the desert to repair the mirror and go into the Twilight Realm." Link rode next to him on Epona, who he thought had a much better name than "Risotto". It was a stupid name for a horse but he wasn't going to say so. "I don't know how long we'll be there. I also don't know how long it'll take for Midna to get us into the barrier surrounding the castle, or how long it will take to find Ganondorf in there." And then he had no idea how long he'd be fighting Ganondorf himself. He tried not to think about that. "Maybe a few more weeks. Most likely before autumn sets in. Unless something goes belly-up." Things had a way of going wrong, for some reason.
"Here's hoping things go smoothly, then." Max said. "I plan on going to Ordon, like I said. But before I do that, I'm going to see if anyone will stay here with Impaz. She shouldn't be left all alone. Even if just ten people decide to stay, it's something."
Link smiled. The man really was a good guy, even if he had his issues. As somebody who had his own issues, he fully understood. "When Zelda starts rebuilding, I'll try to find you."
"Or I will." Ashei said from the other side of Max. "We're going to do things together, yeah? Knights?"
That made Max turn her way and smile at her warmly. "Yeah. Knights." It was really none of Link's business, but he hoped that Max and Ashei would be able to figure out their relationship, whether it was a friendship or more. He respected Ashei's drive to become a strong warrior and a knight, but he also felt for Max, who fell in love with his childhood friend and needed her close after losing his father. He could relate to both of them.
Max parted with them at the stand of pines along the side of the road where they had found his horse the day before, and where they had respectfully laid out the bodies of the two people who had been crushed. The bodies had been identified and were being prepared for a proper burial, since the humans who had been held captive wanted to respect their fallen comrades and give their souls peace. They were the only people being buried after the battle and subsequent liberation of Old Kakariko; Link's ragtag army of Gorons and Gerudo only had a few minor injuries, and no casualties. His battle in the desert only had three Gerudo warriors fall, a stark contrast to the hundreds of Bulblins and Shadow Beasts that were killed. So far, his track record with battles had been good. He hoped if he had to lead an army against the Bulblin horde that was still camped near Castle Town, his luck would hold. Leading less than two hundred was not the same as leading thousands, but he knew that sooner or later they would have to deal with the green-skinned barbarians.
They rode out at a walk until they got to the broader main road that traversed Eldin and Lanayru, at which point they moved at a canter. Link thought about the gift he wore around his neck, and of the young woman who had made it for him. The horseshoe-shaped pendant was uncomfortable to wear beneath his gambeson and mail, so he wore it beneath his green tunic, pushed a bit to the side to allow his baldric to still sit comfortably across his chest. He wanted to keep it hidden when he arrived at Kakariko, but he didn't want to put it away in a bag somewhere. She made it for him, and while she didn't remember doing so, the gift and its meaning touched him. He preferred to wear it for that reason.
Would this gift that she had worked hard on for weeks be the thing that broke the dam that was holding back her memories of him? Or would it trigger another attack and leave him with no other options? She said that she was fine whenever she woke from an attack, but it still upset him to see her like that. Ilia normally didn't cry often, much like him, but the past month had changed both of them. As much as he hated to see it, if she had to go through another difficult episode in order to remember things, so be it. Ilia needed to regain the pieces of her life that she had lost, which were the ones that included him. There was so much missing because he had been involved in so much of it over the past five years. He hoped that Bo's theory was right.
Link was anxious to get back to Kakariko, quietly chafing at the pace they moved at even though it was a fast one. Darbus rumbled along to the left of Epona as he rolled, and Ashei and Spirit were slightly ahead and to the right. They had started out at a gallop the day before, but he didn't want to push the Gorons too hard after all the fighting they had done the night before. They had come through to help him rescue the captured people, and it wasn't right of him to abuse that kindness in order to hurry for his own private needs.
As it was, their pace turned out to be reasonable. The time they spent scouting out the town and then removing the landslide the day before was spent riding. He had to call a halt eventually to let the thirsty Gorons and horses drink, and to let the rest of them eat a late lunch. They rested at a small stream that snaked its way through the plains of Eldin, just south of the great bridge and the ruins nearby. There were poplars and willows edging the water, and it provided them with a place to be out of the sun for the short while that they had stopped. The rest was brief, and before long they were moving again.
The sun was looming low when they entered the canyon that held Kakariko, much like it had been when they did the same for Old Kakariko the day before. It was interesting that both towns of the same name were settled into rocky canyons. They were at the bottom two different volcanoes, but the formation of those seemed to be more recent than whatever extinct rivers had cut through the rock to form the canyons. Impaz had said something was sealed beneath Old Kakariko, which could have been why the Sheikah built the town in the first place. It wasn't too different than the current Kakariko popping up around the Spring of Eldin.
He spotted at a Gerudo up on the canyon wall, and she raised a hand in greeting as they rode past, holding a bow in her other one. There were Goron and Hylian soldiers at the north gates again, and they had already opened the fortified gate for them. The Gerudo lookouts had told them that they were coming, and they were prepared to let them in right away. This time no Gorons rushed ahead to let anyone know that they had arrived. It was as if they were expecting them to return on time.
Darbus and his troops had stopped rolling and walked along with the horses. The large Goron was only slightly winded despite the long distance he had rolled, as if he had only been going for a jog. He stopped at the wide footpath on the outskirts of town that led up to Death Mountain, and Link reined in Epona to talk to him. Ashei and the Gerudo continued on without him.
"We'll be heading home for now. Not that I don't want to hang out with all of you in Kakariko, but these guys need a good rest, and there's nothing like your own bed for that." The Goron patriarch grinned up at him with his square teeth. "We did pretty good, didn't we?"
"Yeah, I think we did. I appreciate you and your troops coming along." Link wanted to hurry, but was doing his best to not seem impatient. He had waited this long to see Ilia; he could wait a little bit longer.
"I would walk to hell and back for you, brother." the Goron said. "If you call me, I'll follow. Without you, I would still be trapped in the mines, and my people would still be in trouble." Darbus looked up at him with his deep-set, rounded eyes. "I wasn't doing this to repay a debt, you know. Some might see it that way, but…" He shrugged his broad pebbled shoulders. "I really like you. I like you, and what you're doing.
"Hearing you say that means a lot." He had earned the friendships and trust of the leaders of the Gorons, Zora and Gerudo, and he didn't take it for granted. There weren't many people that had managed to do that, even through history. He felt that he would be able to befriend Zelda one day as well. "I'm glad you're my friend and ally."
"Same, brother." The huge Goron smiled and gently patted Epona's neck. "Go take care of your horse. And go tell my old man that we went back up the mountain, will you? I know he's probably somewhere in this town." He turned to the rest of the Gorons that had gathered nearby and raised his voice to them. "All right, boys! Time to head home! Good work out there!" He held up his armored fist, and nearly a hundred more Goron fists went up in response, all of them shouting a cry. Then Darbus formed himself into a rocky ball and rolled up the path to Goron City, the rest of his warriors following suit. Link watched them go and then turned to take Epona into the stable.
Ashei was there caring for her stallion when he led Epona in. Link brought her into the usual stall to do the same, looking at the carefully-written runes on the sign that Ilia had made for the horse. So much of what she did was done from a place of love. He still felt giddy over the fact that she would have that love for him, even though she couldn't recall their memories together. Things could take more time until they were normal between them, but he had learned to be patient. As it was, he was happy with what he had.
He heard Ashei humming to herself as she brushed the dust from Spirit's coat. As always, her voice was lovely to listen to. "Are you making a song for your horse?" he asked, checking Epona's hooves while the mare drank.
"Why would I sing to my horse? It's weird." He could almost hear the smirk on her face. "Who would do that?"
"A moron." he said. He heard her laugh, and thought of something. "Ashei...can I ask you something personal?"
"You know better than to ask permission. What is it?"
He picked up the brush and started to clean Epona. "Are you going to give Max a chance?"
She stopped moving for a second, like she didn't expect that question in particular. It wasn't as if he had expressed much of an interest in the subject before. The sound of a brush on horse hide resumed and she responded. "I don't know. I already told you that I have zero interest in that kind of thing right now."
"Yeah, I understand. You have important things you need to do." So did he, but he still had found some time for Ilia and his own happiness. "I can relate to how he feels."
"So you've said." He was unable to read her tone.
"Like Impaz said, we're all still young. It's not important now, but it might be in a few years. If you two become knights, you'll be spending a lot of time together." He cleared his throat. "Not that I'm trying to play matchmaker here or anything. It's up to you. It's just that I want both of you to be happy, you know?"
Ashei exited the stall, finished with what she was doing, and came and folded her arms on the wooden gate of Epona's stall. "Yeah, I get it. I don't like to break his heart, since we grew up together. I think I've grown up more than he has even though he's a little older, and I think he's holding onto this boyhood fantasy of us being together. First love, and all of that." She reached out to pat Epona, who had her nose in a bag of food. The horse moved one of her ears in acknowledgment. "If anything happens, it'll happen eventually. Not yet. I'm not going to change myself for him. I wouldn't expect him to do that for me."
It was a reasonable response. She was so driven that it didn't matter how Max felt, or even how she felt. Once she had accomplished her goal, she was open to the idea. Ashei was right, she was more grown up than Max was. She seemed to be more grown up than Link too, even though they were the same age. He hoped he could learn a thing or two from her as he continued to stumble into adulthood. "That's fair. I know this isn't any of my business, so we don't need to talk about it anymore."
"Thanks." She stood there and waited for him as he finished cleaning Epona's coat and then put the horse's blanket on her. He hummed the song and pressed his face against hers, and the horse pushed back to lean her head on a him a bit. Ashei stood nearby and watched, but didn't make a joke at his expense. She didn't understand the love that Link had for his horse, the one connection he had with his father, but she respected it.
They walked side by side as they left the stable and went to the inn. He could smell something good cooking, and he assumed that it was Telma's doing. Not that Barnes was a terrible cook, but Telma's skill was amazing.
"Are you going to show that thing to Ilia now?" Ashei asked.
"Soon. I don't want to do it in front of everyone, in case she has an episode. I'd rather do it when I can talk to her alone." That seemed to be difficult in this busy town, with the inn itself full of people. He had managed to have some time alone with Ilia when they went up to the apple orchard, or when she came to his room later at night. He'd figure out a way to talk to her. "I need to find her first. Then I can decide how to go about it."
"Good luck. She needs to remember you." The female warrior went into the inn and left him standing on the wooden porch a few steps from the door. Ilia did need to remember him. This wasn't for his own reasons; this was for her. Her life was incomplete without those memories, and she needed help to return her life to normal before she could return home to Ordon. He turned to look around town and at the people who walked home after a long day. They paid him no mind, the hero in green being just another part of Kakariko. The people here had finally gotten used to seeing him. He turned and went into the inn.
The lamps had been lit, and whatever was cooking smelled stronger. Colin and Luda sat at the long table, the wind stones board between them. The two children had spent a lot of time together since Colin had come to Kakariko. It was nice to see that the boy finally had a close friend.
"Link!" a little voice said from the table near the children. Junior had a small stuffed rabbit held in his tiny clawed hands, and he stood up with excitement. The other two children looked up from the their game, and Colin got up to run over to give him a hug. The boy could be so affectionate sometimes.
"Did you help those people?" Colin asked.
"I did." Link smiled down at him. "There are are no more Bulblins in the town, and the Gorons are helping them now that we've left."
"I knew you could do it." As always, the boy had faith in him. Link smiled and ruffled his hair, and then went to the table and Junior, who was beside himself with excitement.
The little Oocca held up his wings-hands, still holding the faded pink rabbit toy in one of them while hopping from one foot to the other. "Link! Up!"
"All right, but you need to stop wiggling so much." He picked up the little creature and put him on his right shoulder, and the little bird-boy laughed happily. He reached up to put one clawed hand on Link's face and gave him a kiss before sitting down. As always, the child was incredibly sweet, and was adorable like any other small child. Link turned his face and planted a kiss on top of the little bald head, and the little boy said something in his own language with a giggle.
"Warm." he said in Hylian, probably repeating what he had said. Well, getting a kiss from a much larger creature probably would feel quite warm.
"That isn't the first kiss he got today." Luda said. "It seems like he can get affection out of anyone."
"To be fair, he is really cute." Link said. He turned his face back towards the young Oocca. "Where is your mother?"
Junior held the pink rabbit toy to his chest. "Shad." Ah, that made sense. If the teleporter was here, then Shad would have had questions about it. He wondered if Ooccoo already knew where it was. In either case Link decided he would wait to give the small book of incantations to Shad. The man would immediately run out and start trying them, and he'd rather they have an organized approach to getting to the floating city. Shad was a very intelligent person, but sometimes he lacked self-control.
"Let's see what's cooking, little guy." he said, and then walked into the warm kitchen with Junior perched on his shoulder. Telma was working there, as he expected. "Something smells good." His comment made the tall woman turn from the oven she was fussing over.
"I hope it does, since it's taking a long time." She shook her head. "I know they meant well, but the Gorons brought in some green wood for us to use, and I didn't realize until I already had thrown it in the oven. Bless them for trying, but they don't understand how we Hylians cook our food."
"Telma?" asked the tiny Oocca. "Food soon?"
"I know you're hungry, sweetie. We all are. It will be soon, I promise." She pointed at Link with a large spoon that was coated with something greasy. "I'm dying to hear what happened on your trip, honey. At the same time, I need to hustle if I'm going to get these geese out soon. We'll talk later, all right?"
Ah, so what he had smelled was roasting goose. Not that he had ever eaten goose, but he imagined it was a lot like duck. Geese were one of the few animals Link did not care for, and his opinion was that they were such mean little bastards that they must have been descended from dragons. "Right. Can you tell me where Ilia is?"
"She's helping Renado tidy up the Sanctuary while she babysits Shad. He wouldn't come to dinner if she wasn't there to nag him." That sounded about right.
"Thanks." he said. "I'll get out of your way." Link excited the kitchen and went over to where the two children were sitting. "Sorry, kiddo. I have some things to do." he told Junior as he picked up the little ball of fluff and set him down next to the wind stones board. The Oocca took a few steps to cuddle up against Luda's arm as she leaned forward to concentrate on the game board. She absently patted the little bald head and continued to focus on the lines of stones.
Link decided to drop off most of the gear in his room before heading to the Sanctuary. He removed the large knight's shield from his back and leaned it up against the wall, and decided to talk to Midna. "You're awfully quiet."
"Oh. Yeah. I'm just thinking, Link." She didn't appear and remained in his shadows.
"About what?" He hoped she wasn't moody again. Then again, there was no reason for her to be.
"Home." Her voice didn't sound wistful or homesick. If anything she sounded apprehensive. "I'm a little nervous about going back, now that we're so close to completing the mirror."
"Why? Will the people not recognize you? Or are you in trouble?" He removed the long pointed hat and tossed it on the bed, then ran his fingers through his hair. He really needed a bath after coating himself in blood yesterday.
She was quiet when she finally did answer. "No. That's not quite it. I'll be able to explain it a little better once we're there. It will make more sense to you then." He frowned at her evading yet another question about herself. "I know that's not what you want to hear. I'm sorry." At least she realized it. He continued to set aside his gear, hesitating for a moment and then deciding to leave the Master Sword behind. Wearing it constantly had become a habit, but it wasn't as if he needed it to eat dinner or talk to Ilia.
"Are you going to give Shad that little book from Impaz?" Midna asked.
"Not tonight. I'd rather talk to Ooccoo about things first." He turned his head to look out the window with its thin curtain, at the fading light of sundown. "I'm going to talk to Ilia right now."
"About the gift she made you?"
"I don't know yet. I should at least let her know that I'm back. She said that she knew that I'd be fine, but I know better. I'll bet she was worried." She didn't say anything in response to that, so he shrugged and left his room. Midna had gone from kind to mopey to sardonic, flip-flopping between different moods quite a bit lately. After what she said about worrying about going home, he could understand her recent behavior. He'd talk to her about it...if only she'd actually tell him anything.
He walked back out through the inn, where the children had put away the wind stones board and were setting out plates for dinner. Being sure to stay out of their way, he gave the table wide berth as he made his way outside. It was gradually growing darker, and the windows of Kakariko were beginning to glow gold with lamplight. His legs took him away from the inn and towards the Sanctuary on the edge of town. It was a good thing that he was moving away from the inn and its kitchen; the smell of Telma's cooking was making him hungry. He didn't need Midna complaining about his growling stomach again.
He stopped in front of the Sanctuary, wondering if this was it. Would this be the moment when Ilia's mind would be mended? We'll fix Ilia's mind, and then we'll fix yours. That's what Midna had told him that night in Lanayru when he finally ruminated over everything that had been bogging him down ever since he started on this damned quest. She knew that both of them had to get better in order for both of them to be happy. He wasn't going to do this just for Ilia, but for himself as well. Link put a hand on his chest, to where the flute was nestled over his heart. It was time to see if they could both be mended.
